Animal-trap.



A. SALOF.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION man MAY 2o. 1914.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

/N VEN TOR @fx/W55? Saa- BVM A TTOHVEYS v vof the jaws.

Y eral figures, of which ALEXANDER SALCE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ANIMAL-raar.

patenten nee. ai, reis.

j Specicatonef Letters Patent. Application filed May 20, 1914. Serial No. 839,796.

istering opening in the inner end of arm 3 vand-extending upw-ardly for a distance vas at 'l to prevent the trap from being pulled into To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Sailor, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of-Oakland, in the county of Alameda and at the inner' end of arm 4 and through a reg- State of California, have made a new and a burrow by an animal, as will hereinafter use f-ul Improvement in Animal-Traps, Of. appear. The outerl end of wire 5 is bent upwhich the following is a specification. wardly and provided with an inwardly pro- V jecting prong 8.V

The base plate 1 is formed in spaced relation with 'the arm 4 with a bridge 9 extending parallel with said arm and having a rear upstanding flange 10 coacting with an ear 11 formed in the outer end of the bridge to form aV guide and journal for latch 12, pivoted at its outer end between ear 11 and iiange 10, end with a depending finger 13 having an opening 14 in the lower end thereof, said finger provided with a rearwardlyv extending flange 15, and the fingery is adapted to extend, when the trap is set, through an opening 16 cut in bridge 9 vnear the wire 5. A second opening 17 is provided in spaced relation to opening 16 and at the opposite end of the bridge therefrom-and through said opening 17 projects a lug 18 depending fromthe latch.

The' outer ends of arms 3 and 4 are provided with openings through which rotatably extends the inner upwardly bent por- This yinvention relates to animal traps, and more particularly to al trap for catching gophers and ground squirrels.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a trap having a pair o jaws carrying barbs movable one toward the other by spring action, the means for setting one of the jawsV against the tension of the spring adapted to be tripped by contact of the rodent with the setting means, or by contactv of earth thrown by the rodent on the setting means, whereby to trip the same and allow impalement of the animal upon closure A further object of the invention Yis to provide a trap ofthe class described which will be extremely simple in construction, durable, eliicient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

vWith these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morey fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the sevbeing formed of a piece of wire extending, whenl the trap is set, in slightly diverging relation with wire 5 and being bent upwardly at its outer end as at 21 and provided with a plurality of prongs 22 for yimpaling an animal against the opposite jaw when the trap is sprung. y 1

A strong spring 23 is coiled about the upright portion 19 of the movable jaw between arms a keeper or lug 24 Vprojecting outwardly an elevational view of the trap, showing the same as placed in position ready for operation. Fig. 2 represents a perspective viewv of the trap. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3-3 of l.Fig 6. Fig. 4 represents a perspective viewv of the trigger. Fig. 5 represents a perspectivel view of the latch. Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary top plan view of the trap.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the trap comprises a metallic plate 1, having at one end an upwardly extending portion 2 provided with an arm 3, overhanging the base plate and an arm 4, formed on the base plate and shaped similarly to arm 3. A stationary jaw is secured to plate 1 and comprises a straight wire 5 around which the outer edge ofthe plate is turned as at 6, to secure the wire, said wire at its inner end extending through an opening in the plate Figure 1 represent from the vertical portion 2 of the base plate, theopposite endv ofthe spring being anchored over the movable jaw as at 25, at a point between armv 4 and bridge 9, Vsaid spring tending to `hold Vsaid jaws Vin closed relation relatively to each other. v

Extending upwardly from bridge 9 in advance of' latch 12 are a pair of spaced ears 26 between which an eye 27A formed on the rear edge of a substantially rectangular trigger 28 is jurnaled, said trigger provided at one side with an extending trip arm 28a projecting through an opening 29 in advance of opening 16, said trip arm provided said latch provided at its inner tion 19 of the movable jaw 20, said'jaw also I 3 and 4 and at one end is anchored in i enough to overcome the through which trap arm arm, and it will shaped flange which, when the trap isV v set, 1s adapted to engagelatch v12 in the opening 14 provided in the lower end of linger 13 for maintaining said latch in lowered position against the tension exerted thereon by reason of the movable jaw O pressing against the lug 18. n

It will be noted that the opening 29 oscillatory motion of said be further noted that the trigger 28 is normally at an inclined position whereby to maintain the trip arm in engagement with the latch by reason ofthe weight ofthe trigger', whichA is just great tension the llatch by the movable jaw. The trigger is of awidth to substantially span the distance between the trap jaws when the trap is set. v

The operation of the device may be briefly enough to allow l described as follows: The trap maybe set occurs near the entrance,

l bination and in a gopher or ground squirrel burrow at the .entrance thereof, substantially in the position shown in F ig. l', with the jaws extending into the opening and the trigger acting as av substantial closure for the opening, and upon the attempt of an animal to emerge froml its burrow, the trigger will be struck, lifting it to shift the trip varm from the latchthus allowing the tension of the movable jaw to throw the latch l2 upwardly until the lug 18 is past the" path of movement of the jaw, whereupon said jaw, by action of the spring, will be forced toward the stationary jaw, thus impaling the animal upon the prongs 8 and 22. l A l A peculiar habit of gophers is to block up the entrance to their burrows with earth, when the burrow has been enlarged Sulliciently, or when a disturbance of any kind such a disturbance for instance as will necessarily result in the placing of the trap in the burrow. Itewill follow that upon movement of the earth by the gopher against the trigger, the latter will'be tripped and the gopher impaled in the manner previously described. Theportion 7 of the wire forming the stationary vjaw extending above the arm 3, is adapted to prevent the animal upon being trapped, from drawing the trap within the burrow. y A

Although 'I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention I may desire to make such `changes in the construction, comarrangement of parts thereof as do not depart from thespirit of the vinvention andv the scope'of the appended claims.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o f Patents, i

28a extends isl largeV securing thejsanie in place,

v'trolling the operation exerted uponl from said upright portion and overhanging the lower arm, a stationary jaw including a length' of stout wire, said wire at one end extending upwardly through said arms and projecting above the upper arm, said plate at oneedge being turnedupon said wire forYY a movable jaw including a second length ofwire having an upwardly extending lportion at its inner end journaled in the arms, and means forconof the movablejaw.

2. A trip` comprisinga body portion,` a stationary jaw Yfixed in relation thereto, a movable jaw journaled in the j body portion and movable toward said stationary jaw,a spring fornormallyy tendingV to move last said jaw toward the stationary jaw, a latch otedv to said body portion, said latch. provided with a depending lug adapted to maintain the'movablejaw in spaced relation with the stationary jaw, said latch provided with a depending linger, a trigger pivoted yto the body portion, said trigger substantially spanning the space between said jaws, said said trip armengaging an opening provided in the latchl finger, st ibstantially as described.

carriedV by the latch and adapted to main-V tain the ,movable jaw in set position, a finger carried by the latch, a trigger pivotally connected tothe bridge, and a trip trigger provided with a ,depending trip arm,

.extending transverselypof the jaws, and pivarm carried by the triggerand adapted'to engage said linger. l Y

4. A trap including abase plate having an upper and a lower arm, an upright Lportion on the plate andl connecting the arms at one end, thereof, a keeper providedon said vupright portion, a pair `of jaws having upwardlyV extending portions projecting through said arms, movable, and a spring coiled upon one of the one of said jaws being upwardly extending jaw portions between Y the arms and engaging at one end upon the movable jaw, the opposite end of said spring engaging saidijkeeper. Y

ALEXANDER sALor... i Witnesses: i' i M HENAS,

FRANK M.A Brno.-

Washington, IL10.

iis 

